Shree: Loitering and Architecture

 

030822: Shree: Loitering and Architecture

Architecture can be equated to tendencies or worldview or values or mindscape. In fact nothing manifests unless it does not enter the mind first. The mind conceives or perceives based on the nature of vibration and that leads to intent and finally to architecture.

Existence will always remain the primary purpose of architecture. And looking at vernacular, indigenous, rural mindscapes, it seems that the mind thinks in organic manner, is calm in thinking, may include many aspects of living, takes into account the dependence and relevance towards environment and community and represents all this idea into a worldview or an ideogram. Space is always there and is everyone’s prerogative and does not seem to have any rigid boundaries or binaries and may also be a response towards climate. Overall, the architecture may have transition spaces, buffer spaces, multipurpose spaces, spaces with no fixed meanings, spaces that may be architectural or natural, spaces for flora, fauna and humans. The experience seems to be about meeting, dialog, contentment and staying grounded. Symbolically, does this mean “loitering” – a time that has no logical definition but wherein one can experience delight? A space where time may appear to slow down, there may not be demands and the diversity does not present itself as chaos?

The nature of spaces probably from modern times has altered the nature of mindscape towards enhancing individual concerns over the collective. This reflects onto sharp distinction between public and private spaces, nullifying buffer areas, strictly defined purpose oriented spaces, production spaces, highly guarded or surveillance spaces, automation supported spaces and so on. The world view is of the individual and not the collective and hence in the individual’s imagination the concept of people or the collective (and hence common spaces) gets severely compromised. Unless the threat is of individual, collective action is unforeseeable.

We talk of values, world views, climate, and environment having a connotation of larger time span and affecting all (at least it is supposed to). What the modern times does is to rupture this experience of collective, so collective values, appeals, concerns are hard to imagine and address and even design! In this current situation, we have “left over spaces”, “voids”, “misused or dead spaces” or “non places” where we do not linger or meet or belong or stay for some time unless a “human role” does not seem to be logically defined! Such non places may seem to increase and we give ourselves less time and less opportunities to organically interact with everything around us for some unknown craze of pursuit. If told to sit quiet or to be out in the open air or open ground – one may “feel lost” since what is there to experience in such openness that has now acquired an imprint of anonymity, sterility, aloofness, coldness? Suddenly the common open space seems odd to have! The open space where things are suspended and roles are not defined and everything seems to be taking place at the same time appears shocking for the controlled freak mind.

Can a discourse of such values, feelings, quality of spaces take place and how climate, culture, seem to shape these values? Much is at stake when thinking of current rate of change. We are altering the mindscape and we need to be critical about it.

Hari Om.